Massacre in Florida, in Orlando 49 dead, 53 more wounded...was he also Gay?
WHO: Omar Saddiqui's parents came to the USA from another culture, apparently lived in the USA because of more peace, security, freedom and opportunity. They came to America so that they could live their lives with freedom, without fear of someone killing them because of their different heritage.
Omar Saddiqui was born in the USA in 1986, but his family maintained much of the religious and cultural alliances that they brought with them from their original homeland.
Saddiqui and his father changed his name a decade ago to Omar Saddiqui Mateen, probably so that he might distance himself from an appearance of Islamic sympathies. But even Omar's father dabbled in Islamic politics.
WHAT: When he and his family were out for dinner and they saw gay men kissing one another. Mateen's father said that his son became furious saying:
"I cannot believe that those men are kissing and touching each other in front of my son!"
Later we learned that the shooter had gone out with gay men. WHAT WAS GOING ON?
Most would tend to agree that they do not like or admire seeing people make public displays of their love life or sexual preferences. But most Americans, accept our social norm, our laws, that teache that even if we don't much like seeing this behavior, we would never kill or harm someone because of it. But there is always a side lesson to be learned by the gay community. Perhaps the community needs to teach more discretion and not flaunt their sexual preferences in public. Most people in our culture would suggest, "Get a room", knowing that public displays can be considered rude and offensive. As already said, that is no excuse for the killer in this case, but it is a lesson that gays should take seriously.
Omar Saddique Mateen's history tells us a bit about him. He was apparently an angry man, a man with a violent temper. His ex wife reported that Mateen was an ISIS sympathizer and police had reports that he had beaten beaten his wife repeatedly. He trained and managed to purchase assault weapons, using his job as a security guard to buy ammunition and weapons. He was known to have gone out with other gay men and searched for "gay" dates on the internet according to the FBI. The man was deeply troubled and conflicted.
WHY? A QUESTION OF MOTIVE, OR EMOTIONAL STABILITY:
Was this incident, of seeing gay men kissing, enough to set off his cultural background, his family's religious and cultural conservative training to make him want to go on a massacre campaign that he could rationalize or justify due to his sympathy with ISIS?
Or was it some kind of personal internal anger or conflict?
WHERE: "Call 911 and I express my alliance to ISIS and Al Bagdadi" was the phone call made by Mateen just moments before the massacre. Then he walked into the Pulse Club/Bar in Orlando, Florida and shot over 100 people. Was this true allegiance to ISIS or just a troubled man seeking rationalization for his evil acts?
HOW? Omar Saddique Mateen walked into the Pulse Bar and Club where people were dancing, laughing, singing, eating and drinking, and opened fire with an automatic assault rifle and an automatic pistol. At last count over 103 people were killed or wounded. No doubt his "root" religion of the nation where his parents immigrated from (Islamic Afghanistan) prescribed death for homosexuals. But that is not the law of America, nor is it the religion of America, nor is it the culture of America.
President Obama made a statement offering sympathy to families, victims and support for the city of Orlando. He said: "The shooter was a man filled with anger and hate, the people he killed were people there to celebrate life, to dance, to appreciate love."
The FBI later reported as did another source that Omar Mateen was gay himself and that he was facing issues related to that. This further complicates the issue. One source of Global Perspectives in D.C. told us that the man likely used his alignment with "ISIS" as an excuse to do the killing, but in other statements from other sources he was known to make angry statements about America. Both his former wife and his most recent wife, have both indicated that he was emotionally angry and often had temper tantrums. One said that he beat her repeatedly. What an irony if this man killed people in a gay club claiming that he had religious motives, only to have been participating with gay men in ways that disturbed or angered him. Did he have a bad relationship? We will never know, but it does not change the fact that he conducted horrible and evil acts and systematically bought weapons and gear to conduct his last pathetic act...murder of innocent people.
WHAT IS THE TAKE AWAY? President Obama said:
"This is another example of someone, we think he was a terrorist" Obama suggested that the man was angry and irrational, but deliberate in "buying guns in our country easily, to commit mass violence and gun violence and it is wrong whether committed in a church, a temple, a movie theater, a school, or a nightclub. We as a nation must decide whether we want this to be the kind of nation we are?"
One must question people who come to the USA taking advantage of our cultural freedoms and then attack and murder citizens of America who exercise the freedoms America offers. One also must note, that since his person had been interviewed by law enforcement officials for past acts of rage and violence, that he was not under closer scrutiny by U.S. legal authorities. Should our laws be changed, to make note of people who act erratically, or who have wild temper or physical abuse records. Should they be banned from buying assault weapons? Probably a lot of angry "red necks" and a number of "angry politicians" would hate such a law, but no doubt, erratic, emotionally unstable people, shouldn't be carrying high powered guns that can kill by the dozens. We heard one speaker say:
"If erratic and irrational angry people cannot get on a plane, if they cannot fly, they should not be allowed to buy."
Hmmmmm, well, we at BootheGlobalPerspectives know how powerful these semi automatic weapons can be. I don't like the idea of confused angry violent people having them.
We at BootheGlobalPerspectives make two bold statements:
1. "It must be clear that people who come to the USA and who deliberately hate our culture and laws and war upon our people are enemies of America."
2. "It should also be clear, that American citizens, who deliberately hate our culture and laws and war upon our people are enemies of America." BootheGlobalPerspectives
One might ask it it is unreasonable to require people trying to immigrate to the USA, to pledge allegiance to our flag and give an oath of compliance with our laws and Constitution, with their hands on the Holy Bible. Would their refusal suggest a potential problem? Would it just be a meaningless gesture?
If people wish to come to America, and wish to love our nation, adopt our culture, obey our laws, fight for our nation, not undermine our religion or other religions, they are welcome.
DEFINE WHAT THEY ARE: When they use our own freedoms to buy guns and arms to murder American citizens, they must be clearly be treated for what they are. They are thugs, criminals, enemies of the state, murderers. They claim to be victims and use the concept of victimology to try to justify their murderous behavior. They wish to exercise some demented form of control upon the USA, distorting reality by preaching that we, Americans have made THEM the victims. THEIR LOGIC IS A SICK TWISTED RHETORICAL DISTORTION.
There is no doubt that people from other cultures, other nations who come to the USA and refuse to embrace our values, refuse to adopt our society, hate our culture and violate our laws should be imprisoned or invited to leave the USA.
We welcome new and good citizens from other nations and other cultures. We will and have for 200 years welcomed good people, who wish to be good American citizens, and participate fully in the American dream. We want new friends, brothers and citizens who whole-hardheartedly give allegiance to the USA. We want good people, good American citizens, but we have no room for trouble-makers, angry criminals or murderers who are loyal to non American cultures or ideologies.
Whether trouble makers or unhappy campers who are in the USA are actually connected to ISIS or the Taliban or some other radical group such as criminal mafia types, they must be exposed and prosecuted. Whether they on their own, or at instruction of some group, when they become enemies of our nation or enemies of our citizens, they must be identified and dealt with. They are not welcome in the USA, if they are criminals, law breakers, thugs, murderers or religious/political radicals with murderous agendas.
Reports from Europe tell us that one region that deported Muslim men found that their crime rates dropped immediately and significantly. It would seem that there is a pattern of criminal behavior among angry, radicalized Muslim radicals, throughout this world impacted by the violent criminal behavior of some groups. They have created this image because of their actions. May we politely suggest that if people are compelled to murder, kill, commit violence, beat their wives, kill people of different preferences in their lives, or hate the USA, that they simply go back to the violent lands that they came from.
There is a sick perversion of religion and politics among some ambitious and unethical leaders of the Islamic world and this distortion of their own religion and ethical values has created a violent personality pattern has tormented the Middle East with conflict and wars for 700+ years. Good, peace loving, citizens of America frankly want no part of this hate and violence, whatever the origin or source nation, because it only leads to more conflict and violence.
No doubt that good people who come to the USA and embrace our values, our culture, our laws, our manners, our religion, or our freedom to not be religious, our political system are welcome.
But people who come to the USA to hate it, to kill US citizens, to try to force their culture, religion or politics upon us are unwelcome and should be asked to leave. An old refrain of 40 years ago was "America, love it or leave it." I disliked that refrain for 40 years. This massacre had led even moderates and people of tolerance in the USA, such as the worldwide audience and writers of BootheGlobalPerspectives to agree with and adopt that premise.
To foreigners, immigrants or family members of people from other cultures, we say "America, Love it or Leave it". We are willing to embrace you as friends and brothers if you will become Americans in every sense of the word and love our nation and way of life. If you are not willing to love and embrace America, then "Love it, or leave it." To you people who cannot love and embrace America fully, we say go back to the culture, religion, politics and economy that you came from. Go back to a home that you can love and be loyal to.